1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates compositions and methods used to prevent and treat inflamation in mammals. More particularly, the present invention relates to compositions and methods for reducing inflamation and pain associated with acute inflammation of mammalian body parts, particularly joints, due to injury or due to arthritic conditions or other disease conditions.
2. The Background Art
Millions of people and animals suffer pain due to inflamation of connective tissue, including joints and other body parts. The suffering which is encountered ranges from mild soreness to debilitating pain which prevents any motion of the afflicted body part.
The term “connective tissue” loosely refers to the tissues which hold a body together. Connective tissue disease is the term used to generally describe a long list of afflications which involve connective tissue. Connective tissue is present in all organs, so the term connective tissue diseases describes a group of diseases which influence a wide range of different body systems.
Rheumatic diseases, which are one type of connective tissue disease, include a variety of different conditions. However, a common feature a rheumatic diseases is that they all involve joints and the surrounding tissues such as ligaments, tendons and muscles. Rheumatic diseases can involve other, seemingly unrelated organs as well, such as eyes, skin and glands. Rheumatic diseases are usually divided into those that primarily involve joints, known as arthritis, and those involving other tissues, generally referred to connective tissue diseases. Arthritis is further subdivided into inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthritis.
One of the most common forms of connective tissue disease is osteoarthritis which is a non-inflammatory type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is generally considered to be due to “wear and tear” of the joints leading to damage of the joint surfaces which results in pain on movement of the joint. There are many factors influencing development of osteoarthritis, including a family history of osteoarthritis and previous damage to the joint caused by injury or surgery. Osteoarthritis is very common in older age groups, but can afflict younger people and animals.
Symptoms in osteoarthritis tend to get worse with activity, so that the greatest pain is experienced at the end of the day. In contrast, the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis include the greatest pain occurring at the movement of a joint after a night's sleep of inactivity. In the case of osteoarthritis, there may be hard, bony swelling of the joints, and a gritty feeling (or even noise) when the joint is moved.
The term arthritis also refers to conditions where inflamation occurs in a joint. While some in the field use the term “arthritis” to strictly mean inflammation of the joints, the term is used more generally for almost all joint problems. So the term “inflammatory arthritis” generally means those diseases of joints where, for example, the immune system is causing inflammation in the joint. Among the more common types of inflammatory arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis (associated with the skin condition psoriasis), reactive arthritis, viral or post-viral arthritis (occurring after an infection), and spondylarthritis which affects the spine as well as joints.
These different types of arthritis all have many features in common, so that it may be impossible to say exactly what type of arthritis a patient is afflicted with. This is especially true at the onset of arthritis, as the early symptoms are generally common to all types. As a rule, any type of arthritis can affect any joint, but some patterns of affected joints are typical of particular types of arthritis, as discussed below.
The characteristic symptoms of inflammatory arthritis are pain and swelling of one or more joints. The afflicted joints are often warmer than the other joints of the body. Stiffness of the joints when getting up in the morning, or after sitting still for a time, is very common and is sometimes the first symptom. These symptoms may begin after a minor illness such a sore throat or a cold, or may even be associated with a period of emotional stress such as a bereavement. Usually, however there is no identifiable cause associated with the commencement of inflammatory arthritis.
Moreover, there are many common minor pains which are not arthritis but are due to injury, strain or inflammation of tendons or ligaments and are referred to as “soft tissue rheumatism.” Some of the more common soft tissue rheumatism conditions which afflict humans include tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendonitis.
Tennis elbow is due to inflammation of the tendons of the hand gripping muscles where these tendons are attached to the elbow. This results in pain at the elbow, worse on gripping with the hand, and the afflicted area is tender when pressed. It usually gets better by itself if the hand is rested, but the condition can recur. Conventional treatment includes injection of steroids at the tender spot. As is well appreciated, tennis elbow is not confined to tennis players.
Frozen shoulder is a stiffening of the ligaments around the shoulder joint which usually comes on after prolonged unaccustomed use of the arm, such as painting a ceiling. When afflicted with frozen shoulder, it is painful and difficult to move an arm in any direction. In this condition, it is important to start treatment quickly since delay will make the condition more difficult to treat. Past treatment has included a program of exercises to slowly increase the range of movement of the arm with a steroid injection into the shoulder to get it moving again.
Carpal tunnel syndrome involves a nerve which passes through the carpal tunnel on the front of the wrist into the human hand. When this tunnel becomes inflamed it can press on the nerve causing shooting pain into the thumb and first two fingers. The syndrome can arise due to many conditions such as thyroid disease, pregnancy and arthritis. Symptoms are often worse at night keeping the sufferer awake. Past treatments include steroid injections and rest. In some cases, surgery to open up the tunnel may be necessary.
Plantar fasciitis involves ligaments in the sole of the foot which can get inflamed leading to pain on the bottom of the heel while walking. Steroid injections and orthotic shoe devices have been used to treat the condition.
Achilles tendonitis involves the Achilles tendon located at the back of the human ankle and which becomes inflamed and painful when walking or especially painful to stand up on tip-toe. This condition is usually caused by shoes which rub at the back of the heel. Further information regarding these afflictions can be obtained from Arthritis Foundation (see http://www.arthritis.org and the links provided thereat as of the filing of this application).
All of these conditions and afflictions are the subject of continuing research looking for better treatments. For many arthritis sufferers, an improved treatment would include one which does not require the consumption of over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Moreover, many people suffer from afflictions attacking organs such as the skin and muscles and expressing symptoms via headaches and backaches, all of which would benefit from better treatments. For example, treatments utilizing botanical compositions can benefit many patients and provide advantages not otherwise available.